Rise in self-harm incidents in Leicestershire's mental health wards

The number of people attempting to take their own lives or self harming in Leicestershire’s mental health wards has risen by 30 per cent in the past four years.

Figures released by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust show a yearly increases from 180 recorded incidents in 2010, to 234 so far in 2014.

However, the trust says the majority are self-harm incidents and the number of people attempting to take their own lives has decreased.

The figures were released following a Freedom of Information Request by Labour’s Luciana Berger, shadow minister for public health. Now Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Loughborough, Matthew O’Callaghan, has called the numbers “shocking”.

He said: “News that self-harm and suicide attempts are on the rise on Leicestershire NHS wards is deeply concerning.

“Mental health services have been squeezed year on year, the number of specialist doctors and nurses has dropped and there aren’t enough beds to meet demand. The pressure this is putting on mental health wards is intolerable.”

Mr O’Callaghan said that an investigation by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) revealed that there were 3,640 fewer nurses and 213 fewer doctors working in mental health in April this year compared to staffing levels two years ago.

He said that mental health trusts had lost over £250 million of their funding in the same period.

Vulnerable

Ms Berger added: “It’s unacceptable that people in touch with mental health services may not be getting the support they need. These are some of the most vulnerable patients in our NHS. Ministers must now take urgent action to tackle this crisis.”

A spokesperson for Leicestershire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said: “Our records show that the number of suicide attempts on our mental health hospital wards has fallen from 13, between January and December in 2010, to eight in 2013, while between January and May this year there were three.

“While we accept the number of reported self-harm attempts has risen, these figures cover a wide range of incidents, including minor incidents which resulted in no harm to the patient but which are reflective of the very often complex nature of the illness experienced by people in our care.

“We also know that our staff are getting much better at reporting incidents that might in the past have been considered too minor to record, and this is reflective of good practice, which means that we can make improvements from any lessons learned.

“Levels of observation of patients on our wards are assessed carefully, based on clinical assessments of their condition and any risk they might pose to themselves and others.

“This has to be balanced against our duty and commitment to respect the privacy and dignity of the people we provide care for.”

Some 50 NHS Mental Health Trusts were contacted and asked for the number of self-harm incidents and suicide attempts on their wards as part of a Freedom of Information request, 29 of which responded.

Comments

So, once you get past the party politics, which is what this article is really about, there may not actually be cause for alarm with the figures, as reporting is better, practices are improving, etc. Most likely need to take an in-depth look at longer term trends, which the Mercury probably doesn't have the resources for any more.